Friends, I am pleased to share with you the first edition of the GFF’s monthly newsletter – “EXTRA TIME.” The idea behind this publication was conceived by the Council to further strengthen our communications across the membership body and with our stakeholders. We believe strongly that open, transparent and timely information sharing is fundamental to the exercise of good governance, and I do trust that you will appreciate the time and effort we have dedicated to this document.
The GFF’s monthly newsletter sets out to highlight those activities, projects, events and programmes that punctuate the strategic journey of the football fraternity. It will attempt to bring to life the meaningful work that is taking place throughout the fraternity, driven by our coaches, volunteers, officials and partners, that oftentimes goes unnoticed.
We welcomed 2020 with a resounding football bonanza – the GFF Super 16 Cup™ on January 1 st at the GFC ground at Bourda. The atmosphere created by our passionate fans was a refreshing reminder of the power of football to provide wholesome entertainment and bring people together. I am particularly proud of what we were able to achieve over those two weeks of competition and wish to encourage us all to use the opportunities from this success to recultivate and invigorate the national fan culture in the coming months and years.
The GFF U20 Men and Women’s National Teams kicked off the 2020 international calendar in historic style by producing commanding performances in their respective qualification fixtures. Though impressive – this was by no means surprising. There has been a consistent progression among our youth national teams in the past four years – a testimony to the GFF’s strong focus and continual investment in youth development. With your indulgence, I wish to attribute these gains to several developments: the GFF’s – and Guyana’s – first FIFA-approved astroturf facility, our strategic alliance with the GFF International Support Group (ISG), the ongoing construction work at the GFF National Training Centre, the impact of the NAMILCO U17 “Flour Power” League, the Pele Alumni “Frank Watson” U15 League and the KFC U20 Cup. Allied with the foregoing where the huge investment made in coaching education and the professionalization of our Technical Department.
Unfortunately, much of our scheduled competitions and development programmes for 2020 have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Football’s governing bodies have cancelled all international fixtures along with other measures aimed at reducing the spread of the virus. We have taken similar steps and will continue to provide guidance and support to our members as the situation unfolds. The health and wellbeing of our community and wider society will always be the most important priority for the GFF.
I would like to close with a strong word of caution about the rapid spread of COVID-19. There is hardly anyone alive who can claim to have experienced what is taking place in the world today. This pandemic represents a serious threat to our way of life and must be taken extremely seriously by every one of us. As your President, I beseech you all, my esteemed colleagues, to treat this disease with the respect it deserves by adhering strictly to the widely circulated preventative measures. These measures are designed to not just protect your life, but the lives of your loved ones as well as our entire society.
I wish us all a successful passage through this difficult period.
Sincerely,
Wayne Forde
President